Razor blade stropper



Aug. 13, 1935. SHAPIN RAZOR BLADE STROPPE R Filed Nov. 9, 1955 INVENTOR J grad 5k4 zn'n 2 z 57. AT'roR NEY7 Patented Aug. 13, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I 3 Claims.

This invention relates to stroppers for use in stropping razor blades; and the object of the invention is to provide a stropper with means for supporting both double edged and single edged blades in connection therewith to provide for the stropping thereof; afurther object being to provide the frame of the device with two sets or pairs of yielding guide rollers over which the strop is movable, and which aid in supporting the 'strop in firm engagement with the opposed sides of the cutting edge of razor blades in the strapping operation; afurther object being to provide means actuated by the strop in the forward and. backward movements of the end portion thereof for automatically shifting the blade holder to perform stropping' operations on both sides of the cutting edge or edges thereof, and further to the provision of an anti-frictional means in the leverage or linkage between the blade holder and the means for actuating the same; a further object being to provide a single blade holder. which is so constructed as to receive and sup-- port either a single or double edged blade; a still further object being to provide means for coupling a handle member with the frame device so as to permit compact folding of the handle member with respect to the frame when not in use; and with these and other objects in view,

the inventionconsistsin a stropper of the class.

and for the purpose specified, which is simple in construction, efficient in use, and which is constructed as hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, of which the accompanying 1 drawing forms a part, in which the separate parts of my improvement are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views, and in which: I

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a stropper device made according to my invention and indicating the method of its use.

Fig. 2 is a section on the line '22 ofFig. 1 omitting part of the construction.

Fig. 3 is a plan View of a blade holder which I employ shown detached from the frame.

Fig, 4 is a side edge View of the structure shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a sectional, detail view of a part of the construction shown in Fig. 1; and,

Fig. '7 is a partial section on the line I'! of Fig. 2. r

In carrying my invention into effect, I provide a stropper frame consisting of two side 'plates I0 and II coupled together and. spaced apart by'two pairs of rods I 2, Na. and I3, I311. In" practice, I dispose on these rods within the plates If! and I I freely mounted tubes I4 composed of suitable material and preferably of a yielding material, such for example, as rubber.

At one end of the plates I (I and I I are areshaped slots I5, one end of which terminates centrally of the'plate and the other end adjacent one side thereof as clearly seen in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing, so that a U-shaped handle member I6 or the ends- Ilia thereof passing through the plates Hi and II' are free to move in said slots so that the handle member may be collapsed onto the frame as indicated in dottedlines in Fig. 2, the handle member being preferably offset centrally as indicated at I621 to conform with the contour of the frame or to pass over one of the rods, namely, the rod Ila. when the handle memberis in folded position.

'Rotatably mounted in the plates Ill and II ad jacent the apertures I5 is a rod ll of large div ameter, over and around which a strop I8 is adapted to pass, said 'strop being also disposed in-' wardly of the tube I4 and extending beyond the plates, and hasyoke-shaped handles or grips I9 attached thereto by plates 20 by means of which the stump may be drawn toward and from the frame for the purposes later described. 7

Attached to one end of the rod I'l is an arm or lever BI, which in the construction shown is disposed outwardly of v the plate lit, the lever having an inwardly pressed bead 2Ia operating in an arc-shapedslot Ilia to limit the swinging movement thereof in two directions. The end of the lever 2! terminates in a pin 22. upon which is 'mountedan anti-frictional ball the latter seating and operating in the yoke 24 of another lever or rocker arm 25' secured to one end of a blade operating member 26 consistingof two similar parts 26a and 26b. The ends of said parts are riveted to the rocker arm 25 as indicated at 2?, the member 26 being rotatable in both plates I0 and I I, a Washer 28 being disposed adjacent the plate I 0, whereas the other end 29 of the member 26 extends through the plate I! and is substantially cylindrical in form to rotate in the plate II, the separate parts of said member having adjacent surfaces beveled outwardly to form a substantially V-shaped throat 3i! facilitatingthe insertion of a blade supporting part 3| into the member 25 between the separate parts 26d and 26?) thereof. In this connection, it will be noted that the plate II has an. elongated slot Ila opening through one. end thereof to facilitate the attachment of the part .3| including either a double edge blade 32 or a single edged blade 33 with the stropper.

The blade supporting part 3| is so constructed as to support either the double edged blade 32 or the single edged blade 33, said part being formed from an elongated sheet of material folded upon itself to form plates 3|a and 3|b joined at one end by a crosshead 3|c. The corners of both of said plates are curved outwardly to a slight degree as indicated at 34 to facilitate the insertion of the enlarged backing 33a of the blade 33 into and between said plates. Riveted to the plates 3|a are pins or eyelets 35 which project upwardly through apertures 36 in the plates 3|b-, and the projecting ends 350. thereof are adapted to receive the conventional alinement apertures of the double edged blades 32 to key the same to the supporting part 3| in the operation of placing the same in the member 26 and to retain the same against movement with respect to said member in the part 3| in the stropping operation. The other end of the plates 31a and 3 lb are riveted to a knob or finger piece 31 by means of which the part 3| may be moved into and out of the member 26. Said ends of the plates also include angularly disposed springmembers 31 cut from the material thereof which are adapted to frictionally enter the parts 26a and 26b of the member 26 to fric- 1 tionally retain the part 3| and the blade therein against displacement from the member 26 in the use of the stropper.

When mounting the double edged blade 32 upon the supporting part 3|, it will be apparent that said blade is disposed outwardly of the plate 3|b whereas the enlarged end 331; of the blade 33 is disposed between the plates 3| and 3|b as indicated in Fig. 5 of the drawing; It will also be apparent that the edges of the blades when mounted in the stropper device will be disposed adjacent the tubes I4 as indicated in Fig. 2 of the drawing so that the outward pressure of the edges of the blades is resisted by said tubes which, as before stated, are preferably-composed of yielding material.

In the use of the device, the handle portion I6 is attached to a nail, hook or other support after a blade has been mounted in position within and between the opposed surfaces of the strip Is as indicated in Fig. 2, the hand grips are engaged by the hands of the operator and one end of the strop is pulled forwardly, and after the completion of this strop, the other end of the strop is advanced f0rwardly,-and this operation continues as long as the operator feels that it is necessary to perform the desired strapping operation.

In this intermittent forward and backward movement of the strip, the frictional engagement of the strip with thev rod operates to rotate the same, throwing the lever 2| and rocker arm 25 so as to oscillate the supporting member 26 to move both side surfaces of the cutting edge of the blade into engagement with the strip, it being understood that with the member 26 in the position shown in Fig. 2, the strip is being pulled in the direction of the arrow a: Fig. 2, whereas with the pull of the strip in the direction of the arrow :22 in said figure, .the member 26 will be oscillated to and from the. edges of the blade into engagement with the tubes I4 onthe pins l2, l3a. g

,It is also preferred that a suitable abrasive material be applied to the inner surfaces of the strop to provide more efiicient strapping operations, as well as to establish greater frictional.

engagement of the strop with the rod, insuring proper actuation of the lever 2| and rocker arm 25. It will be understood that my invention is not necessarily limited to the specific structural details herein shown and described, and various changes in and modifications of the construction herein set forth may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of my invention or sacrificing its advantages.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is: I

1. A stropper of the class described comprising a frame consisting of spaced sides plates, a member rotatably mounted in one end portion of the frame and arranged intermediate said plates, at strop adapted to pass around said member to rotate the same by frictional engagement therewith,

a razor blade supporting element rotatably mounted in the plates of said frame adjacent the other end thereof, a lever on said member outwardly of one of said plates, a rocker arm on said element and in operative engagement with said lever whereby the rotation of said member will transa yielding material and being disposed adjacent the edges of razor blades mounted in said element to form a backing therefor in the stropping operation, and a handle member adjustably supported in the side plates of the frame to permit the extension thereof and collapsible mounting with respect to the frame.

2. A stropper of the class described comprising" I a frame consisting of spaced elongated plates, 8/

blade supporting element rotatably mounted in one end portion of the frame, a rotatable member in the other end portion of the frame, a strop movable over said member for actuating the same, means centrally of the frame and f in the first named end thereof for guiding the strop in its movement relatively to said element and over said member, means outwardly of one plate of the frame for placing said member and element inoperative engagement with each other, said element including a detachable blade receiving part consisting of relatively movable'plates', the other side plate of the frame having an elongated-aperture opening through one edge thereof for receiving the detachable part of the blade supporting element with the blade therein, the guiding means for said strop comprising spaced pairs of pins with tubes mounted on said pins and disposed in the path of movement of the edge of the blade arranged in said frame, said second named means comprising a yoke-shaped arm on said element, a lever on said member and an anti-frictional part freely movable on the end of said lever and within the yoke of said rocker arm, and a handle member pivotally and adjustably coupled with the side plates of said frame. 7

3. A stropper of theclass described comprising a frame consisting of spaced elongated plates, a blade supporting element rotatably mounted in one end portion of the frame, a rotatable member in the other end portion of the frame, a strop movable over said member for actuating the same, means centrally of the frame and in the first named end thereof for guiding the strap in its movement relatively to said element and. over said member, means outwardly of one plate of the frame for placing said member and element in operative engagement with each other, said element including a detachable blade receiving part consisting of relatively movable plates, the other side plate of the frame having an elongated aperture opening through one edge thereof for receiving the detachable part of the blade supporting element with the blade therein, and said element comprising asplit tube transversing the side plate of the frame and in connection with which the blade receiving part is frictionally coupled.

ISRAEL SHAPIN. 

